Will the United States Fall Off the "Fiscal Cliff?"

Watching the debates among Congress-folks about how to solve the "Fiscal Cliff" problem, we can't help but think of Thelma and Louise.

It's hard to believe these characters are going to figure out what to do. Cancel new taxes and play dice with the public's health? Make deep spending cuts nobody wants? Add to a debt crisis?

If you haven't already heard, several major fiscal decisions need to be made by our country's esteemed leaders. Tax cuts are expiring, but could be extended. New taxes from Obama's health-care program are beginning, but could be delayed. Cuts to more than 1,000 federal programs are scheduled, but could be better managed to avoid pain. A new recession must be avoided, since the economy's still crawling away from the last one.

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Ray Stern has worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won many awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.